Improvement in envelopes



Pate nted April 8, i879.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

. a; Law BX ATTORNEYSi UNITED STAT g PATET OFFICE.

JAMES P. MGOULLOUGH, OF FBANKFQRD, PHILADELPHIA, ASSIGNOR TO LEWIS N. BEDFORD AND MILES 1 DIGGLF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA, ONE-THIRD TO EACH.

IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,165, dated April 8, 1879; application filed September 16, 1878,

To all whom it may concern.- 1

Be it known that I, Jams RMcGULLoUeH, of Frankford, Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have intlnted a new and Improved Envelope, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an inclosure for those articles that are carried through the mails in unsealed packages, such as seeds, circulars, &c., said inclosure being so contrived that loose articles, such as seeds, roots, bulbs, herbs, 850.,cannot get out,-nor is there any liabili letters getting in the inclosure and hei away from; their proper'fles'tinntlon.

-It consists in providing an envelope with an inside pocket, into which one flap of the envelope is foldeddouble, so as to provide a place into which the other flap is placed with its edge turned up, whereby the receptacle for the articles is eflcctually closed, but at the same time can be easily and quickly opened for the inspectionof the contents.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved envelope, with a part of the back flap removed; and Fig. 2 is a crosssection of the same, showing the manner of closing the mouth or opening in the envelope.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

. Referring tothe drawings, A represents the back of the envelope, having an extension, forming a flap, a. B is the front of the same, likewise having an extension, forming a flap, b. The bottom and ends of the back Aand front 13 are joined, forming a close receptacle, 0, while the top is open. An inside pocket is represented at 0. Its upper and open edge coincides with .the top of the envelope when the flaps are folded down. The length of this pocket is the same as the inside lengthot' the envelope, and its depth is about one-half.

Articles are inclos d in the envelope in the following manner: Seeds (1, for example, having been placed in the receptacle 0, the flap b is folded on the line 1, and then bent over at the line 2, forming the upper edge of the envelope. The bent edgeis then thrust down in the inside pocket, forcing the upper free edge of the pocket against the inside of the part B, while the free part of the flap b rests against the inside of the back A, and the other part against the pocket, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The flap a is then folded at the line 3, bent over at the line 2, and'the bent edge thrust down between the two parts of the flap b al-- ready in the pocket, leaving a small portion, e, projecting above the edge to serve asa strap 7 for opening the envelope. i L From this description and the drawingsfltwill be readily understood that r c is completely closed sd thniih a closed-in the envelope cannot possibly escape, but at the same time it can be quickly-and easily opened by the post oflicebfiieia when they wish to examine the contents; v

Where s mall artioles-such as seed are to be inclosed, additional security may be obtained by providing the flap a with a small book of metal, which, when the envelope is closed, can be thrust through the flap b, so as to hold it securely.

To inclose samples, photographs, circulars, 820., this envelope will be found particularly useful. At present letters are liable to get concealed in the envelopes inclosing large circulars, &c., and are thus carried'froln their proper destination and are frequently lost. It the envelope here described be used, this source of annoyance will be effectually destroyed, as when once closed nothing can get in or out of the envelope. v

Having thus described my invention, lclaiin as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- As an improvement in envelopes, the envelope herein described, having an inside pocket, 0, and the flapsa and b, adapted tofold in the pocket (3, and fto close the opening to the re ceptacle c, in the manner substantially'as hereinbefore described, and for the 'purpose set 'forth.

JAMES PAUL McC ULLOlIGH.

WVitnesscs THOMAS H. GREEN, DANIEL Gaosson. 

